The Safest Ways to Download Free Music

With the recent case of a woman being fined close to $2 million for downloading 24 songs, emphasis on downloading safety has never been greater. Despite a variety of recent implementations by Internet providers to curb downloading, accessibility to free music has never been easier.

Private Music Sites

A number of user-based journals and websites exist to offer free music to individuals who prefer not to join subscription services or purchase CDs. These exist on a variety of platforms such as LiveJournal, WordPress and Blogspot blogs, though many require an invitation from the journal's maintainer or from a current member. The music is generally accessible by clicking a link that leads to a direct download hosted on a private server or leads to a file-hosting website that contains a link to download the file. The files are generally found in a .ZIP or .RAR format, which cuts down on the file size and makes the transfer of multiple files easier.

Indie Music

Bands from all genres that have yet to be signed to a major label often release their new albums for free on their websites in an attempt to reach a much wider fan base. Though they might be difficult to find, running a Google search for "free indie music" might prove beneficial in acquiring new music in an unambiguously legal manner. Many mainstream bands have been utilizing a "pay what you want" model of releasing music, popularized by Radiohead with the release of its album "In Rainbows." Since paying is not required with this model, one can easily download the album for free or very cheap. In addition, news sites such as Reddit.com, Fark.com and Digg.com have regularly updated music sections that occasionally highlight new and free music releases.

Private Torrent Sites

Though not 100 percent safe, there are a variety of ways to ensure your chances of being caught downloading and uploading music are greatly minimized. Much like the private music sites utilizing blogging software, there are a variety of private torrent sites that require an invitation from a current member, and, in the case of the site being new, proof of membership from another private music site that clearly displays a good download/upload ratio. The privacy and invitation-only aspect of these websites ensure a much greater chance of anonymity, as do the nature of torrents in general. But precautions should always be taken in the form of IP blockers.

IP Blockers

IP blockers are another method of ensuring privacy on a variety of peer-to-peer networks as they prevent incoming IP addresses to access the torrent stream. Phoenix Labs' "Peer Guardian 2" is perhaps the most popular and effective, especially in the case of Bit Torrent. According to the website, Peer Guardian 2 "integrates support for multiple lists, list editing, automatic updates and blocking all of IPv4 (TCP, UDP, ICMP), making it the safest and easiest way to protect your privacy on P2P."

How to Download Songs From YouTube Videos

You can quickly and easily download music from YouTube. Most of the artists for their music videos on YouTube to reach the fans, and many of these songs provide for free. By following these instructions, some of those songs part of your music library immediately.

Instructions  

What you need: 
 
    * Web browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox)
    * YouTube Clip Extractor application
    * Music Player download (eg Windows Media Player) 

• You must first download a video to YouTube Extractor down. There are many available online, some of which are the resources listed below the link. Many of these programs are free and some offer a free trial period with the possibility to change later. After downloading the application, close and restart your browser. 
• Once you start your Internet browser, go to YouTube and find a video or song you want. You'll see an orange icon at the top right of the toolbar. If you do not see it, there is only your Tools menu in the menu bar and select the clip-Extractor program.
• When the lid opens the window to choose the format you want the file to save. For most of the audio files in MP3 format to play and work with most audio players. Then select the destination you want to save the file. Create and save to a folder on your desktop called "Music" is a simple way to find the music after download.
• Then click on Start downloading, and your song should be finished downloading in a moment. Will be directly in the folder or location specified above. The song is now able to play right from your computer.

How to Download MP3 Files From YouTube

YouTube is not just a streaming television broadcast site. It is a place where you can listen to just about any song you desire. In most cases, songs can be found on YouTube when they cannot be retrieved on P2P downloading sites. One thing a lot of people do not know, however, is that songs on YouTube can be downloaded and converted to MP3 files. This process can be done successfully with just an Internet connection so you can listen to your songs anywhere.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Copy the URL address for the song you want to convert to MP3. Locate the video you want to convert by simply accessing it on the YouTube website. (See "Tips," below, for a URL address example.) Highlight the URL address and right-click over the highlighted text. Select "Copy."
   
   
2. Access the conversion website. (See "Additional Resources," below, for the Online FLV Conversion website link.) Double-click on the link to open the website in a new browser window.
   
   
3. Insert your YouTube URL address. Right-click over the blank data form provided when the Online FLV Conversion website loads. Click "Paste" and your URL address will appear in the data form.
   
   
4. Choose the conversion output format. Below the data form, there will be a drop-down menu next to the "Convert To" instruction. Click on the drop-down menu, select "MP3" (audio only) and choose "Start" to begin converting the YouTube video to an MP3 file.
   
   
5. Download and save the converted file. Once the conversion process is complete, a download link for the new MP3 file will load on-screen. Double-click on the link and select "Save" when the file download window opens.

How to Download YouTube Songs

YouTube is the online networking sensation that connects millions of people from all over the world by sharing videos. The range of videos are vast, which makes the genres plenty to choose from: comedy, reviews, video blogs, and the ever popular songs. Bands and amateur musicians upload their songs to YouTube everyday, but they do not always have a link available to download. If you ever wanted to get your favorite music off YouTube, all you need is a little patience. You will get it.

Instructions

1. Go to the YouTube video which has the song you want to download. Then highlight and copy the web address of the video, which can be accomplished either by copying what is listed in the "URL" box of the video's info, or go to your address bar to do it.
   
   
2. Navigate to "http://vixy.net" to access an online converter Website. Make sure not to put "www.vixy.net" on your address bar because that will direct you to an incorrect domain.
   
   
3. Paste the YouTube URL into the "URL" box on the Vixy Website. Make sure that the URL code is listed correctly as shown in the example on the page. You will get an error if the URL code is incorrect, and you will not be able to download your YouTube song.
   
   
4. Click on the "Converts To" drop-down menu and select either "MP3 (Audio Only)", "MP4 for IPod/PSP," or "3GP for Mobile" to convert your YouTube song. You may also opt to convert the song along with the video that accompanied it by selecting either "AVI for Windows" or "MOV for Mac."
   
   
5. Press "Start" to begin your conversion. A progress bar will show you how much percent it has converted, as well as the size of the original YouTube video. Once the bar has reached 100 percent, a window will open prompting you to save the file. Click "Save" to begin downloading your YouTube song.